I returned to my newly rented flat from one of my friend’s cocktail party on 26th night of Nov 08 at around 11:30. Inserted the keys into the door and pushed it. The couch in front of me increased my level of desire to get relaxed. I put my shoes off and grabbed the remote the way python does to its meal. I put the television on to watch some appealing and captivating songs to get fresh. But the breaking news “India’s 9/11” at every news channel cured my hangover to its best. I instantly pulled my cell phone from my pocket and called my friend in Mumbai. I was waiting for the network to get connected but in vain. After trying for uncountable number of times I eventually heard the voice “Hello” after two hours.
” Hey Vibhor , are you okay ?” I asked.
“Yes, but two of my colleagues are minor injured in the firing when we came out of the Taj hotel after client meeting.” He retorted.
“Ohh Holy crap, how are they now?”
“They are in hospital and will be fine in couple of days.”
“Thank God.” I said.
He helped the victims there when there was no police, when there was no ambulance, when there were no fire brigade men and when there was no system. “Thank God” was the last sentence which I said in the conversation. But I thought why did I say? And within few seconds I got the answer, because my friends are okay. Behaving like an ordinary man I slept with the couples of feelings that it would be okay by tomorrow and it’s now the part of our system. Next morning I woke up late and tried to get updated on the last night’s terrorist activity. The situation had gone worst they hijacked the whole Taj hotel and put the dent on our system and on Mumbai. But again like a common man I went to office and started working as usual. The whole office was busy in talking about the last night’s terrorist activity. The whole day India’s 9/11 was the hot topic to discuss. The cab driver, guards, shopkeepers and everybody around me had only one thing in mind India’s 9/11. Today after 2 weeks I am as normal as this incident never happened. Not even me in fact everybody around me. Now even news channels have other stuffs too to telecast.
My mind always gets paused when I question myself “What can I do?” Last night I watched the movie “Rang De Basanti” again just to listen the famous dialogue, which I admire a lot. “Zindagi jine ke kewal do hi tareeke hote hain pehla jo ho raha hai use chupchap sehte raho ya phir jimmedari uthao use badalene ki (there are only two ways to live firstly bear what all is happening around you or take responsibility to change the system.)” But this dialogue seemed abyss last night and could not satisfy me. The reason was the question which was constantly shrinking my mind. Why should I take the responsibility? I am the ordinary man and I elected the extraordinary men for same.
As being the perfect citizen I cast my vote, I pay income tax, I pay phone, water and electricity bills, I pay sales tax, I pay CESS, I pay VAT and of course all kind of hidden taxes which I do not know. I look after my family. I do my 10 hours job properly and I like that. I do what I am supposed to do as being the perfect citizen. Even then I live in terror. A question invariably comes into my mind. Where do I lack as being the perfect citizen? I elected the government to take the responsibility, I elected the government to crash the terror from our hearts and I elected the government not to let this happen again. It’s their job and they should do it properly as bees build their hives. After every terrorist activity they tend to normal rather, in a refined manner, they tend to ignorant. “Being normal is good but being ignorant is not.” And that’s what they are doing.
Terrorist can kill us but they can’t kill the spirit of my friend and government can ignore us but they can’t ignore the spirit of my friend who helped those who were injured, those who were trapped in the Taj and those who were directly or indirectly hurt by Terrorism. I highly appreciate my friend and all those who helped the needers at the cost of their lives when the terrorism was at its peak.
Waite, Terry says-------- “The terrible thing about terrorism is that ultimately it destroys those who practice it. Slowly but surely, as they try to extinguish life in others, the light within them dies.”
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